Tukwila school employees accuse black leader of racist talk
Mar 20, 2012, 7:19 AM | Updated: 2:36 pm
A group of African-American employees in the Tukwila
School District are demanding the suspension of the
schools superintendent, accusing her of racial
discrimination. The accusers and the school’s leader are
all black.
The nine employees say the discrimination has been going
on for some time. Athletic Director J.D. Hill is among
those asking the school board to remove superintendent
Ethelda Burke.
“When I walked in her office, she said, ‘Hey, J-
Dark,'” according to Hill. “J-Dark was my nickname, my pet
name for months, in a professional environment.”
A dispatcher also complained. “She says to me, ‘You have
to stop being a big black man scaring our white drivers.'”
“It numbed me,” he said.
The accusers range from a bus dispatcher to teachers to a
vice-principal. They sat down with KING 5 to
detail their allegations. The Tukwila School District
declined to comment, calling this a personnel issue.
The attorney for the Tukwila Schools employees has filed a
complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission.
Teacher Sandra Goins says it wasn’t until co-workers
started talking to each other that they realized there was
a widespread problem.
